This special event includes a singing and dancing workshop for people living with Parkinson’s and their carers and then the screening of a film called Kinetics, the Film: Where Parkinson’s Meets Parkour’ by writer and actress Sue Wylie who has Parkinson’s and felt inspired to turn her successful stage play into a film. She will be present at the event to talk about the film.

I think that most of you are familiar with the social and information aspects of Parkinson’s UK central office. One further aspect that Parkinson’s UK wants to improve is participation in the research side.

To this end, they are setting up “Research Champions” in branches to raise the awareness of all the activities related to research that Parkinson’s UK supports, and I have volunteered to be the Research Champion for our Fareham branch.

Participating in research is not just taking part in clinical trials, which is of course important, but the activities include reviewing documents from central office or proposals for projects which central office might fund, or participating in the numerous questionnaires which researchers run in order to confirm they are researching in a productive area.

Parkinson’s UK run a “Research Support Network” to disseminate information and requests for help from the research community (including government funded research councils, universities and NHS bodies). If you sign up for the Research Support Network, you will receive emails about research activities, including a monthly Research Round-up. If you are not on email, I can supply paper copies of newsletters etc.

If anyone is interested in finding out more about these activities, please get in touch with me, either face-to-face at a branch meeting or via email or telephone.